Shloka 19
स पतन् शुशुभे नागो धनंजयशराहत: । विशन्निव महाशैलो महीं वज्रप्रपीडित:,अर्जुनके बाणोंसे घायल होकर गिरता हुआ वह हाथी ऐसी शोभा पाने लगा, मानो वज्रके आघातसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित हुआ महान् पर्वत पृथ्वीमें समा जाना चाहता हो
sa patan śuśubhe nāgo dhanañjayaśarāhataḥ | viśann iva mahāśailo mahīṃ vajraprapīḍitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Struck by the arrows of Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), the elephant fell, yet even in its collapse it appeared splendid—like a mighty mountain, grievously crushed by a thunderbolt, seeming as though it would sink into the earth. The image underscores the terrible grandeur of battle: valor and power are acknowledged even as they are brought down by superior skill.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic ethic of recognizing prowess even in an enemy’s downfall: the fallen elephant is described with grandeur, reminding the listener that war entails immense suffering and that true martial excellence is accompanied by sober awareness of its consequences.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that an elephant, struck by Arjuna’s arrows, collapses. Its fall is compared to a huge mountain crushed by Indra’s thunderbolt, seeming to sink into the earth—an image intensifying the scale and violence of the battlefield.